Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik was released from police custody on Tuesday after six days of his incarceration.
“Yasin Malik was arrested on the first day of Ramadhan and released on the sixth day of Ramadhan from police custody. During last Ramadhan too, he had to spend almost full month in jail which is highly regrettable. It has become a preferred pastime of the rulers to arrest the JKLF chairman. As soon as anything happens anywhere, he is the first one to be put behind bars,” a JKLF spokesman said in a statement.
He said, “These frequent arrests and incarcerations have put Yasin Sahib’s health in jeopardy which is fast deteriorating. The rulers should at least have some respect for the holy month of Ramadhan and should refrain from imposing harm to human beings.”
“Meanwhile, a delegation of the kith and kin of many Kashmiri detainees lodged in different jails today visited JKLF office and met Maik. The delegation members informed him about the ill-treatment meted out to Kashmiri prisoners in various jails of Jammu and Kashmir and outside especially in the jails of Jammu region. Kashmiri inmates have been put in dark cells under shabby conditions and besides mental torture, they are being subjected to physical abuse too. During holy month of Ramadhan even Sehri and Iftari has become a tedious affair for these inmates who are facing worst kind of apathy at the hands of jail authorities,” the spokesman said.
“The authorities at Udhampur Jail, Kathuwa jail, Imphala Jammu jail and Hiranagar Jail have beaten all previous records of tyranny and oppression. These inmates are being forced to take Iftari and Sehri in solitary cells,” the spokesman, quoting delegation, said.
Expressing solidarity with the victims, Yasin Malik, according to the JKLF statement, said , “The rulers are even disregarding the directions of their own Supreme Court by shifting inmates to jails which are hundreds of kilometers away from their homes. Supreme Court has ordered to keep prisoners in jails located as close as possible to their homes. These jail inmates at least needed to be kept near their home so that their kith and kin were able to meet them.”
“He appealed to the ICRC and other international human rights organizations to save the lives of these jail inmates from the wrath of India authorities.”
Meanwhile, Yasin Malik condemned the firing by army on unarmed men and women, that too at Iftar time at DK Pora Shopian.
He said,” Instead of these Sadbhwana Iftari programs, government forces should hold some programs for their soldiers where the importance of human dignity and life is taught to them.”